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Old 03-30-2018, 06:06 PM   #1
TommyBB
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Om Mani Effect? robusto

On a quiet Good Friday evening, it's a little too fine to coop myself inside the house. In spite of the holy day, and my attitude toward it, as well, I wanted to get in one more robusto before "March is for Robustos" comes to a close. It's a still night, I have reading I can do, as well as reflection upon this most holy of days. I prefer little to no media interaction normally; I have played and sung for the three o'clock service of the Veneration of the Cross. I have also done my annual, customary, Good Friday herb planting. It's early this year, and the nursery didn't have too good of a selection.

I search for a robusto and I have few to find. I am certain they are SOMEWHERE, but if so, they are NOT in my main or daily humidor, or among more recent acquisitions. I go searching and I run across this cigar. I received it from Jefslat, it is from the 2017 IPCPR trade show haul for us to review. I do a bit of research and I do not see this cigar.
by YmmotBB, on Flickr
This is an Om Mani, it is made and sold by Pete Taylor III out of Jackson, Georgia. Pete Taylor is a regular contributor to the Cigar Weekly group on Facebook. According to their website, Om Mani makes three lines of cigars: the Gold, available in three wrappers, the Lotus Organic, also available in three wrappers, and the Helix which are pretty "barber pole" creations. One Helix has three wrapper leaves, and the other has two.

The cigar here is nowhere to be found. I call it the Om Mani Effect because that's what the band says. It displays a pretty rosado capa, and a fine cap at the head which clips easily displaying a bursting-at-the-seams filler bunch inside. Pre-light draw is rather peppery, my iced tea may get a workout. I do not get a strong aroma from the rest of the cigar before I light.
by YmmotBB, on Flickr
Getting more proficient with matches, the Om Mani "Effect (until I learn another name for it") is going. Initial impression is a woody character; I thought cedar at first, but that is not it. Cedar is quite recognizable. Perhaps this is oak? I have read others' reviews of cigars that mention oak. There seems to be a flowery character early on as well because I am drawing on it a little too much in an effort to straighten out my less-stellar light. Yes, I thought I had it going well. I didn't.

Reese, the hearing-impaired incontinent dachshund yelps from the kitchen as the entire foot is finally lit all the way around. I will blame negligent storage for any flows, however, I am having to draw often to keep lit. First draw yields no smoke but the second does, although it takes a third to get any real volume of smoke. This is probably the reviewer's fault.

As I near the first inch there is still woodiness, but is this sweet Bourbon I perceive? Anyone who knows me knows I don't partake of Bourbon, yet I have tried, I have smelled it often enough and have eaten Bourbon-flavored foods. The draw opens some, and it's gone, the Bourbon that is, I get oak again.
by YmmotBB, on Flickr
The draw issues are working themselves out and the cigar is getting sweet. The burn is nice and the ash a lovely reminder of the pretty capa. The finish is not overwhelming which I count as a good quality in my smoking experience. Good thing, too, as the finish is the least pleasing aspect of the Om Mani Effect, up to now.

As the cigar passes two inches and the ash drops, the flavors remain consistent and pleasant as before with enjoyable fluctuations from oak to sweet, and back again. It is satisfactory, medium-strength at its most prominent moments.

Pete Taylor has done well with this blend, it is a solid Cigar Weekly 3.5 to 3.75 stars I would smoke another and enjoy it.

Just as I write that last paragraph, the cigar begins to canoe which lasts for nearly an inch at the middle approaching where the already-removed band belongs. It slipped off quite easily early on. I am allowing the cigar to correct itself as added heat would likely spoil the smoking. After some minutes it does, indeed, correct and burns more straight than ever.

As the end nears, the draw and smoke is more generous than before, which, of course, is a most pleasing turn of events. YoungerBB James, who has a better palate than I, tries it and definitely gets the woody character along with a peppery spice I haven't noticed since the initial moments.

I may have been hasty in the 3.5 star assessment. It is a touch better than that. And, with that, despite an inch or a bit left, it simply goes out, a fitting end.

The irony of Om Mani's quotations from Zen Buddha being printed inside the band, and all through their website, is not lost on me as I enjoy this Good Friday reflection and reading in which I am engaged while reviewing this.
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Last edited by TommyBB; 04-02-2018 at 09:16 AM.
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IPCPR 2017, IPCPR Cigar review, IPCPR Cigar Reviews, IPCPR Reviews, IPCPR2017, March, Om Mani, Om Mani Effect, RobustoMarch
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